Boost for vital blood supplies as rules changed

Gay men will now be able to donate

More people in Renfrewshire will now be able to give blood as new landmark regulations come into force today.

Blood donation has now been made accessible for members of the LGBT community.

To mark World Blood Donor Day, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) is implementing new fairer, ways of assessing who can give blood.

The changes, which come into effect across the country - as well as in England and Wales - mean that UK blood services will now assess donor eligibility on a person by person basis instead of applying across the board restrictions.

From today, SNBTS will ask all donors the same questions about their recent sexual activity to ensure blood safety.

This will allow previously excluded potential donors, including low- risk sexually active gay men, to give blood.

The move has been hailed as an “inclusive” step forward, allowing for more people to donate lifesaving blood.

Dr Lorna McLintock, SNBTS consultant in donor medicine, said: “This is welcome news and comes as the result of extensive review by a panel of experts.

“The change is fairer and more inclusive, and allows us to undertake more individualised assessment of donor eligibility while maintaining blood safety.

“These changes to the way UK blood services assess the risk of transfusion transmitted infections incorporate the key recommendations of the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) Report.

“The recommendations were designed to recognise that, by combining donor questions with state of the art testing, we can keep our blood supply as safe as possible.”

The SNBTS is urging people in Renfrewshire to make an appointment to give blood to help provide a muchneeded boost to blood stocks, having set a target of welcoming 500 new blood donors a week over the summer months.

Last year, 3,000 people in Renfrewshire gave blood, benefitting 9,000 patients across Scotland.

Currently, people in Renfrewshire can travel to the Glasgow Blood Donor Centre in Nelson Mandela Place.

Blood donation drives will also be held later this month in Neilston and in Erskine next month, with an online booking system now offering appointments.

In January last year, more than 500 people turned out at St Mirin’s church hall to give blood.

Residents from every corner of the town and beyond attended the sessions to give a vital boost to blood banks.

In nine donation sessions in the area last year, 1,354 people donated their pint, which was distributed to 39 blood banks across Scotland.

Edward Ford, head of donor services, said: “Right now, there are desperately ill patients across the country who need donors to give blood.

“Hospitals are still full of patients needing blood transfusions – cancer patients, mothers who have had traumatic births, children who have been in accidents, long-term patients with blood disorders.

“These patients have not disappeared because there is a pandemic and, unfortunately, the Covid- 19 vaccine alone won’t solve their problems. What they need is people to give blood.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a regular donor, you’ve never given blood before, or you’ve only donated once or twice in the past.

“If you’re fit and healthy and aged 17 to 65, you’re pretty likely to be eligible.”

To find out more about blood donation, search for donation sessions, and make an appointment, log on to scotblood. co.uk